Customs in Changwu County, Shaanxi Province
Traditional diet
Folk eating habits are mainly wheat, corn, and sorghum, with buckwheat, millet, cereals and other miscellaneous grains. Home-cooked meals include steamed buns, rice soup or noodles. In rural areas, it is customary to have two meals a day and three meals during busy periods. Dinner is commonly known as soup. The food likes sour and spicy food, and the workmanship is fine. Taking wheat noodles as an example, it can be steamed, rolled, baked, fried, baked, washed, pressed, spread, etc. There are many ways and styles. Changwu people are very hospitable, and their banquets include pan-frying, stir-frying, braising and deep-frying. They have both Guanzhong and Longdong flavors and are very particular about color and taste. Generally, the banquets are "Wukui", "Baqiaowu", "Chongba", "Chongjiu", "Manshi", etc. Folks pay more attention to dignity and pomp when celebrating. Festival food is relatively rich, and noodles and meat dishes are eaten during the New Year. , hot pot, rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival, moon cakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival, jujube cakes on the Double Ninth Festival, and rice porridge on the Laba Festival.
Etiquette Communication
Changwu people pay attention to etiquette and friendship when communicating. Send welcome, warm hospitality. When relatives, friends or teachers come, a banquet will be held to welcome them. When close relatives and close friends go to take exams, take office, or travel far away, a banquet will be held to see them off. Opening a business, building a house, moving into a new home, recruiting apprentices, men and women getting married, full moon birthdays, old people celebrating their birthdays, making coffins, and congratulating each other on festivals or events, giving gifts, and entertaining guests. When things happen, there must be a "ceremony book" for reference and courtesy should be reciprocated.
Respecting the elderly and caring for the young has always been a virtue among the people. During festivals and festivals, people sacrifice their ancestors, kowtow and salute the elders. Exchange greetings with peers. Regardless of public occasions or daily life, the names are friendly and the elders and younger ones are in an orderly manner. Be courteous to the elderly when walking, entering, talking, eating, and riding in cars. When sitting at the table, the younger generation toasts to the elders and guests.
People pay attention to proper gift-giving in their interactions. When getting married, the woman is given "add-on boxes", including clothing materials, bed sheets, quilt covers, flower glasses, etc.; when the man is given congratulatory gifts, including clothing materials, bed sheets, quilt covers, photo albums, vases, cash, etc.; on birthdays, the elderly are given birthday couplets, birthday banners, etc.; Give baby hats, shoes, children's clothes, toys, etc. as gifts when the baby is one month old; give wreaths, elegiac couplets, plaques, memorial services, etc. at funerals; and provide condolences or financial aid to relatives and friends who are killed in disasters. On other festivals, gifts may be given as appropriate, ranging in thickness and thickness, based on family distance and financial ability.
Changwu people attach great importance to the friendship between relatives, have frequent contacts and warm hospitality. Whenever a rare visitor comes to the door, the host will treat him warmly and provide at least a cigarette and a cup of strong tea. When there is a meal, take care of the food and drink, be humble and courteous. During banquets or ordinary meals, the plates should be placed on the crossbar and the back wall of the house to serve guests politely. During the banquet, the host diligently toasted, persuaded and said "eat well". When the guests leave, the whole family goes outside the gate to thank each other and say goodbye.
It has become a traditional custom for neighbors to help each other and show care and consideration when encountering emergencies. Farmers build houses, rush to harvest and plant crops during the busy farming season, and help workers to return work without any consideration for remuneration. In the event of natural or man-made disasters, if there is trouble in one place, support will come from all directions.
Festivals and Customs
Spring Festival
The Spring Festival, the first day of the first lunar month, is commonly known as New Year, New Year, New Year's Day and Chinese New Year. For breakfast, I always eat noodles in saozi soup. Before the meal, the younger members of the family kneel down and kowtow to their elders. After the meal, men of the same ethnic group gather together and go from village to house to pay "New Year greetings" to the elders. After the meeting, no matter whether it is in the family courtyard or on the roadside at the end of the village, relatives and friends will bow to each other wherever they meet, and wish each other congratulations. After entering the house, if you encounter someone who has died less than three years ago, you will first bow to the spirit tablet, and then bow to each person one by one according to their seniority. The elders also showed humility and entertained them with food and wine. Lunch consisted of seven plates and eight bowls, a hearty hot pot, and Shaohuang wine.
On the New Year's Eve, the whole family reunited, laughed and spent a good night together. At midnight, the radio stations and TV stations rang the New Year bells, and the firecrackers exploded, deafening. In the early morning, pay homage to ancestors and bow to the elderly. The adult doll is beaming with joy. From the first to the third day of junior high school, breakfast consists of long noodles and dumplings and wontons. Lunch with fat meat and wine is more sumptuous. There was an endless stream of people visiting relatives and friends, and there was a civilized, peaceful and warm atmosphere everywhere.
Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, also called the "Festival of Lanterns". Celebrate the Lantern Festival and play with lanterns.
There is a folk saying that "the first day of junior high school is the fifth day of junior high school". Folks steam flower buns and make various images according to the twelve zodiac animals to worship the gods and "watch the lanterns". The newlywed's natal family, the fiancée's husband's family, and the baby's uncle's family must send lanterns and steamed buns in advance. The new daughter-in-law goes back to her parents' home to "hide from the lights". There is also the custom of young wives "stealing" calf buns in order to give birth to children early. People pay attention to eating jelly at night, and they also have the habit of eating Yuanxiao. Every year from the 14th to the 16th day of the first lunar month, red lanterns are hung in every household every night, and children play with lanterns. Lantern Festival Lantern Festival is held in the county and market towns, with balloons and ribbons soaring into the sky, dazzling people. At night, lantern screens are lit, fireworks are set off, lantern riddles are guessed, and social fires and drama performances are held. On the 16th, people travel around and enjoy themselves, which is called "traveling to cure diseases", hoping to cure diseases and prolong life, and make the old and young happy.
Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of May, also known as Duanyang, commonly known as "Duanwu". It has been passed down from generation to generation and the people attach great importance to it. Get up early at dawn and sweep away the dust. Collect mugwort and hang it on the lintel. The child's hair is moistened with dew, mugwort leaves are tied on his head, and a sachet is tied on his chest, which is commonly known as "purse" and shows off. Apply realgar to your nose and ear holes to avoid plague and repel insects. For breakfast, eat rice dumplings, oil cakes, mung bean cakes and mugwort-shaped steamed buns made at night. For lunch, they eat stir-fried vegetables, hold a banquet, drink realgar wine, and relatives and neighbors present each other with rice dumplings and mugwort steamed buns. When getting married, the man must give gifts to the woman, which is called "chasing festivals." Women and children tie five-color "flower ropes" on their wrists, wear flower shoes, and wrap their bellies with flowers. Men, women, old and young all wear purses with novel shapes. Brothers, sisters and unmarried partners give purses to each other to express their friendship.
New Year's Eve
The night of the last day of the twelfth lunar month is called New Year's Eve. On that day, we clean the house thoroughly, paste the window panes, put up window grilles, prepare incense candles, firecrackers, and put up couplets (commonly known as pairs), door gods (Qin Qiong, Jingde) and New Year pictures. Post "Spring Returns to the Earth" inside the hospital, "Go out to see happiness" outside the door, "No Diseases" on the Kang wall, and "Full Life", "Fruit Grain", "Dragon and Phoenix Presents Good Luck", and "Qilin Send" are posted indoors. Son" etc. In the morning, I cooked meat, stir-fried vegetables, and made noodles, busy preparing meals for the New Year's Day. In the afternoon, parents take their children and grandchildren to the graves to worship their ancestors. Anyone who has died within three years must have his spirit seal a memorial tablet and place it in the main hall. At night, a red light is hung in front of the door and a fire is simmering. The whole family, young and old, gathered happily to "eat New Year's dinner". The elders give "New Year's money" to the younger ones, and the younger ones kowtow to the elders to bless them. On the 30th night of New Year's Eve, "Sitting Night", the whole family gathered together, talked and laughed, and watched the Spring Festival Gala with great interest.
Social customs
Marriage
Before marriage, a man and a woman are introduced by relatives and friends to propose marriage or fall in love freely. After a period of contact and both parties have no objections, the engagement formalities can be completed. . When getting engaged, the man invites relatives and friends to hold a banquet. The woman and her relatives go to the man's home to receive clothes and betrothal gifts from him, which is called a "wedding ceremony". After the engagement, every Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival and Spring Festival, the man's relatives will go to the woman's home to give gifts, which is called "chasing festivals". After the marriage relationship is established, the man and woman often communicate with each other, and their relationship becomes deeper and deeper. Before getting married, both men and women must register their marriage and receive a marriage certificate. The parents of both parties determine the wedding date. The day before the wedding, the girl's family will host a banquet for guests. On the wedding day, couplets and red cloth are pasted at the groom's home, which is full of joy. A tent is set up, pigs and sheep are slaughtered, and a banquet is held to entertain the guests. After the bride enters the door, a wedding ceremony is held, the marriage certificate is read out, the witnesses speak, and the bride and groom enter the bridal chamber. Old and new customs are mixed together. During the banquet, the bride offers cigarettes, wine and candies. And prepare a gift to thank the matchmaker, which is commonly known as thanking "Hongye". On the night of flowers and candles in the bridal chamber, happiness is popular, and making noise in the bridal chamber is commonly known as "playing in the bridal chamber". The bride and groom introduced their love story, sang, danced and played tricks. Three days after the wedding, the newlyweds bring cakes and candies to the bride's house to meet her father-in-law and mother-in-law. They will be warmly entertained. Returning on the same day is called "returning home." 7-12 days after the marriage, the bride returns to her parents' home to live for an equal number of days, which is called "Tian Ten". One month each time between returning to your mother-in-law's house and then back to your mother's house is called "flying to the moon".
Giving birth
On the second or third day of the month when her daughter was due to give birth, the woman’s mother brought a big pot helmet and a baby’s belly to her daughter’s home, put the big cake on the lid of the pot, and punched it. To break it, throw the wrapped belly through the window of the daughter's residence, then go into the house and press the wrapped belly on the bottom of the mat, which is called "beating the pot" to ensure smooth delivery and the safety of mother and child. Three days after delivery, the mother-in-law's family brings raw noodles to visit her daughter's home, commonly known as "breastfeeding"; 10-20 days after delivery, close relatives and friends of the mother-in-law's family visit the mother and baby, bringing pancakes, eggs, dried noodles, red tang and clothes to wish them well. Great and safe. One month after the baby is born, there is a "full (mi) month". On the day of the full moon, sumptuous meals are prepared, relatives and friends come to congratulate the baby, and the baby's uncle's family gives gifts of sheets, children's clothes, strollers, and clothes. Relatives and friends generally give gifts of fabrics, children's clothing, toys, etc. During the luncheon, the baby's parents and grandparents were taken advantage of by smearing black and red colors on their faces, chasing and playing, and everyone was happy.
Funeral
After a person dies, the family usually asks Mr. Yin and Yang to look at the Feng Shui and hook points, and then "Sheng Lian", choose a day to hold a memorial ceremony, and those who participate in the memorial ceremony will send gifts (steamed buns) ), wreaths, candles, elegiac couplets, plaques, filial piety tents, etc. There are portraits of the deceased in the mourning hall, where various kinds of food can be offered. A filial son wears a filial piety hat, filial piety clothes, and white shoes. Relatives and friends wear black gauze, black sleeves and white paper flowers. Hospitality is subject to family circumstances. Blood bar soup in the morning, meat and rice wine at noon. The next morning before burial, soup and vegetables were served together, which was called "the wind stirs up the snow". In addition to the eight-carrying sedan chair, tractors and cars are also popular for escorting the coffin. The coffin is carried out in a majestic manner, with mournful sounds and drums and music, and the mood is desolate. After the burial, take the spirit tablet back and worship it at home. Changwu folk custom taboos the word "death". The deceased is called "die" when he is old, "die" when he is in his prime, "shang" when he is young, and "hang" when he is young. Those over 50 are called "old people mourning", and those over 70 are called "die-in". Funerals are more grand. Small mouths rarely die or die abnormally, and most are buried immediately. When an unmarried man or woman dies, there is no coffin. They nail "four walls" or wrap it with straw. The tomb is not darkened, and the clothes are not buttoned. They are buried prone. If two people die within a hundred days, it is considered a grave mourning. The coffin cannot go out of the door, and the wall is usually broken. Or they could be buried in a coffin hung from the back of the cliff.